The
global ideological shift and the economic crises that we have recently
faced combined together have almost side lined the pertinent topic of
climate change. Commitments made by various nations for the Paris
Climate Agreement fall short. The world political scenario is dominated
by governments who only believe in incremental goals. At the policy
level, financial pressures usually take precedence over environmental
concerns. However, what is not being realised is that planned and more
futuristic investments can address both issues for a more cost and
resource effective approach.

The world needs to understand that we cannot
afford to lose our last chances to minimise climate change. It is indeed
a case of now or never. Climate change scepticism is growing and the
greatest obstacle in dealing with it is the fact that people are unable
to observe it as an individual problem and rather perceive it as a
global phenomenon. Policy researches and climate change summits dismally
fail at breaking the concept down to the commoners and communities. A
certain small section that is comparatively aware refrains from taking
notable actions as the enormous magnitude and intractability intimidates
them and they end up believing that whatever they contribute will be too
little.
This is where behaviour change communication comes into the picture. The
concept is to change how people perceive climate change and
environmental issues. It needs to be communicated in the most
contextualised and comprehendible manner. It should be established at
all levels that environment does not negate economic progress rather
accelerates it making it more sustainable and lasting.

Relevant Theories of Behaviour Change

Everett Rogers in his book - "Diffusion of
Innovation" (1983) discusses various dimensions that influence the
acceptability of the target group in adopting any innovation (in this
case the concept of climate change). He discusses how chances of
adoption become higher when the innovation is considered superior to the
prevailing practice or is in harmony to the existing social norms.

Rogers proposed a five-stage theory that
synchronises with Development Alternatives' 4A's Approach (Assessment,
Awareness, Action, Advocacy). In this, he lays stress on the
implementation cycle of a programme where gaining knowledge through
assessing the topic and target audience is of foremost significance. The
second stage is of persuasion that we do via massive awareness drives
which in turn lead to a decision that manifests into an action and thus
gets implemented. The last stage is of confirmation that we do via
advocacy. When people see their actions being replicated, they feel
motivated. These motivated people in turn become role models for the new
adopters.
Another theory that makes sense here is the theory of Nudging. Nudging
is based on the concept that most sustainable behaviour trends are
non-conscious and non-compulsive. It creates a zone where people behave
in a more sustainable manner whilst still being provided with the
freedom of choice.

Studying and addressing semantic and
syntactic communication barriers is another step while designing a
behaviour change model.

Thus, a mix of all these theories form an
integral part of climate change communication.

Innovations in Climate Change
Communication Tools

Development Alternatives has been working on
various projects and has innovated several creative tools of
communication. One such project was Shubh Kal wherein a reality show was
launched for the rural community in the climate sensitive region of
Bundelkhand in Central India. ‘Kaun Banega Shubh Kal Leader’ saw people
adopt environment friendly lifestyles. People who won the show became
‘Shubh Kal Leaders’ who then continued to be change agents in their
communities. They kept creating behaviour change by encouraging and
inspiring people to adopt sustainable practices like rain water
harvesting, organic farming etc. These ‘Shubh Kal Leaders’ were
facilitated at various platforms which motivated them further in their
work as change agents.

Development Alternatives along with UNICEF
is doing a project in Rajasthan on building resilience among children,
adolescents and caregivers to combat climate change. In this project, a
new module for KAP Survey is being designed where cognitive methods will
be used to gather information and test the knowledge of the target
community. It was found after a pre-test that children found answering
50 objective and subjective questions tiresome and uninteresting.
Children enjoyed it more when the same questions were asked to them in
the form of a game. They were shown pictures of polluted water bodies,
pollution emitting cars and factories, deforested grasslands etc. The
responses were recorded. This kind of baseline and tools can be used
with illiterate and introverted people.

Other implementation innovations such
as
creating a Jal Vayu Rangmanch where puppetry performances are scripted
and performed have also been implemented under this project. The
narrative is based on climate change, the growing water shortage and
what can communities do to adapt and change. Earth and pollution are
personified and the puppetry artists use puppets, drums and many other
traditional media tools to spread the message. The dialect and messages
are localised and global warming is linked to drought and flash floods
which the people in this area of Rajasthan have been witnessing over the
last few years. Through the use of these innovative tools, the concept
of climate change is being demystified for the community people.

Jal Shobh Yatras will be organised locally
in an event format where an identified group of community members would
go to the nearest natural resource like a water body, forest etc. They
will hold discussions there which will work as focus group discussions (FDGs)
on various factors that impact natural resources and what can
communities do to combat that impact.

Comic strips are a great method to document
and evaluate personal stories. The advantage of this method is that even
people who are illiterate and might be too introverted to participate in
FGDs will be able to share their knowledge and stories regarding the
subjects.

The anthem approach is being developed to
promote the message of creating a green environment. The idea is to
reach out to the target audience through any and every channel. The song
should become an instant audio identity.

Conclusion

To bring climate change in mainstream
community discourse, it very important to localise the context based on
theories and continue to build awareness of the issues in real terms.
Simultaneously, mapping the multi-dimensional layers of influence and
providing a clear message on the direct and indirect impacts of
behaviour is critical. It is also important to identify and break down
barriers, allow future impact and measurement to be assessed, recognise
individual readiness and identify stages of readiness that can be
aligned to the right techniques of influence. What is most imperative is
to engage with the younger audience as education at an early age is most
effective in changing behaviour. ■